Meet Carlos Gardels | Pianist & Private Piano Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carlos Gardels and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carlos, what inspires you?

While there is arguably a lot wrong with our country and the negative impact smartphones, the internet, and apps have had on our attention, privacy, and self-esteem — I can’t help but be inspired daily by the positive side of these developments: I can now compose a piece of music, give a lecture or teach a piano lesson, record it on my phone, and share it with hundreds or thousands of people within minutes. The implications of this to creativity have never before been seen in society, and can be likened to what the invention of the atomic bomb was to geopolitics, or what the printing press was to literacy.

As recently as twenty years ago, somebody could have amazing ideas, abilities and lots to say, but unless they did the work in also securing connections or paying for promotion and advertising, or had the advantage of somebody influential seeing their work – it was unlikely they would ever reach a wide audience.

This may seem like a strange thing to feel inspired by, but since art at its most core level is about expressing or sharing something with another human being, the fact that today we have potentially a built-in-audience at our disposal fuels one’s urge to create.

Naturally, being a musician, I’m also inspired by all the great musicians of the past – particularly those who have had harder or greater struggles than we give them credit for. When we hear names of great artists past (Schubert, Bach, etc) — I think there is somewhat of an unconscious assumption that they were rich and famous like today’s superstars, but it is humbling to keep in mind many died in poverty and lived lives of obscurity while working odd jobs.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Most classical musicians today are unique in that they fall generally into two distinct categories: “Composer” or “Performer”. The former creates music – the later performs it. There is rarely a crossover between the two. In any other genre of music – hiphop, jazz, pop, etc, this is virtually unfathomable; the performer and the creator are one. Even in cases where one artist sings or performs another, they add a lot of their own personal flair to it, and it becomes a “cover”, but classical performers are basically told to follow every marking in their sheet music already left by the composer if they want to be taken seriously. Classical Performers are – in a sense – “Recreatives” rather than “Creatives”.

While it’s tempting to compare playing music like this to being a “trained monkey” of sorts, it needs to be understood that composers have painstakingly thought out each and every detail of how they want their music played, and it is a performer’s job to capture the essence of the composition they are performing. The beauty of this process and time-honored art is that two pianists, both playing the exact same music and following the exact same instructions left by the composer – will nevertheless sound completely different.

However, as time went on, I began to get curious about what it would be like to simply compose my own music with zero restrictions or considerations (basically as composers and pop musicians do). The pandemic was really the key to ignite all of this, because with the sudden reduction in my teaching activity and all of my concerts cancelled, I had a sudden surplus of time. I set myself a goal to finish 3 pieces during this period, which I did. After professionally recording them, I made a list of 15 sheet music publishers. I reached out to each of them individually and got 14 rejections, but one of the most prominent accepted and agreed to publish my work. It was released in September 2022 and is now available in music stores worldwide.

Ever since this, I have been composing much more frequently and now all of my recitals contain some of my own work. In January or 2023 I made my solo recital debut in Paris playing my own pieces as well as works by other composers. I am planning new programs for next season where I will mix my own music with those of local friends and colleagues, along with more standard works of Debussy and Chopin. I think that this kind of fusing music from past and present – music written by relatable people (who you can see, meet, and message), mixed with more distant demigods of the past can do a lot for classical music’s general image and continued presence in society.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love Malibu Creek State Park – which is nestled inland from the ocean and west of Calabasas. It’s a place I’ve been visiting my whole life. The hikes there are not very intense, but the rocks have a kind of cragginess and drama, combined with streams and forests that is quite rare in Los Angeles. So we’d hit that up. After that, probably a drive to Malibu proper to have some Greek food at Tony’s Taverna and some Mythos beer. If there was a lot of time, we’d drive down PCH until Sunset Blvd, and take that all the way through Pacific Palisades, the UCLA area, West Hollywood, and eventually Silverlake for late night drinks or dinner.

I’d also take them around Pasadena, my personal favorite part of LA where I’ve been lucky to live for the past ten years, and enjoy the older vibe with all the botanical gardens and museums. Lastly, I don’t think any trip to LA is complete without a trip to the Getty and  amazing views on a clear day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I can’t go without mentioning the obvious people who have had the most direct positive impact in my life – my parents, teachers, and colleagues who have supported me – and, less obviously, the neighbors in my (thin walled!) apartment for tolerating mercilessly repetitive piano playing at all hours of the day as I teach, practice and compose!! In a strictly practical sense, the peace of mind they have given me by not complaining or raising hell has been a top reason for my success.

I have also looked up to people who have forged a similar path in the pianist/teacher/composer tryptic – namely the musicians Seymour Bernstein, Emile Naoumoff, and Diane Hidy. From a non-musical standpoint, I’ve learned to optimize productivity and priorities by reading the work of James Clear and Mark Manson.

Website: www.carlosgardels.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/carlos_cardels

Facebook: www.facebook.com/carlos.gardels

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@sporadicmystic